1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to grid systems comprising a cover holder and a replaceable cover, especially to grid systems comprising a cover holder and a replaceable cover which is used as the cooking grid in barbecue grills, and gas barbecues. The replaceable cover being used as the cooking surface, and, after becoming soiled or at will can be removed and replaced with a new replaceable cover.
2. Description of Prior Art
Many, if not all users of cooking grids prefer to cook food on a clean surface.
Heretofore variations on one basic type of cooking grid have been proposed and implemented for use in barbecue grills, and gas barbecues.
This basic grid consists of a plurality of parallel bars, spaced apart from one another, and fixed on an equal plane the outer most surface providing the cooking surface on which food is supported. After this type of grid has been used, to clean it thoroughly requires the transfer of the grid to a suitable cleaning area such as a sink. Then a messy, difficult, and time consuming process of scraping and scrubbing is required to thoroughly clean the grid.
What makes this type of grid so difficult to clean is a combination of factors. First, the food residue left on the grid after use is usually burnt on, thus, it is hard to remove and necessitates cleaning by hand. Second, the spaces between the bars necessitates a cleaning action along the length of the bars usually one bar at a time, because a cleaning action perpendicular to the bars causes water, suds, etc. to be sprayed into the air and often on to the user, walls, counter tops, the floor, etc., creating a considerable mess. Third, the weight of the grids make them hard to handle. Fourth, the size of the grids is often too large to fit completely into a standard sized sink. Finally, barbecue grills and gas barbecues are usually kept outdoors. The significance of this is that after preparing food using the barbecue the user proceeds to eat. After eating, the barbecue is stored until the next time it is required, thus, the soiled grid is not out in the open reminding the user to clean it, but rather, the soiled grid is forgotten about until the next time the barbecue is to be used. At that time it is unlikely the user would want to delay barbecuing for up to twenty minutes in order to clean the cooking grid. As a result of these factors users found this type of cooking grid unsatisfactory.
Due to the difficulty of cleaning this type of grid various wire brushes and the like have been proposed and implemented for cleaning the grid in place in the barbecue unit. Using this type of cleaning method, however, is deemed unsatisfactory by users because it is time consuming, it can be physically demanding, and further, it removes only the thicker residue, thus, leaving behind a greasy charred residue on the grid. In addition, the residue removed is deposited in the body of the barbecue where in the case of gas barbecues it can damage the burner unit.
Some users, because of the difficulty cleaning this type of grid thoroughly with soap and water and the inadequacies of brush cleaning don't clean their grids, thus, allowing charred cooking residue to build up until eventually they must at their own expense either replace the old grid with a new one or spend a great deal of time and effort to try and salvage the old grid.
In essence, users found this type of grid unsatisfactory because of the difficulty cleaning it thoroughly and the difficulties and inadequacies of other cleaning methods.
A variation of the basic grid was to cut larger grids into two or more pieces, however, the basic cleaning difficulties remained requiring the use of the unsatisfactory cleaning procedures used on the basic grid. Users, thus, found this variation unsatisfactory.
Another variation of the basic grid was to coat the grid in porcelain instead of chrome. The porcelain, however, becomes coated with residue during use similar to the basic grid. Again this variation still requires the unsatisfactory cleaning procedures as the basic grid, and thus, was found to be unsatisfactory by users.
Most users, therefore, would find it desirable to have a cooking grid which could provide a clean cooking surface more easily.